We learned the other day that an effort is being started to get city and/or county money (that’s really our money, just for the record) to build a stadium to host a professional soccer team.
Our former county judge said that maybe that should be a county project.
Does that mean that they will tear down the county courthouse and the downtown jail to make room for the soccer field? An article in the Times told us that the soccer league wants the facility to be located downtown.
That is just baloney.
What the soccer league wants is for the team to draw heavy attendance and thus be profitable. The location of the soccer field is irrelevant if people will go to it.
The requirement that it be downtown is just another part of the whole downtown re-development effort.
We need to speak up unless we want the politicians to put us further in debt.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Expect the Mountainstar vampire squid to go into full court press mode to suck more money out of taxpayers, already burdened with billions in public debt, in order to feed the trickle-up economy.
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Meantime, everyone ready to go surfing at Cohen Stadium? Where will they get the water? Oh, right, we can use that recycled toilet water.
Have fun.
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“The league wants it downtown” is the same lie Mountainstar told while pushing the baseball ballpark to enhance the value of other downtown property owned by Mountainstar’s owners. It was a lie then and it’s a lie now.
The Louisville soccer franchise plans to build on a site that is near downtown, but NOT downtown. The city would contribute the property, but the franchise owners will pay all construction costs.
http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/metro-government/2017/09/22/mayor-fischer-says-soccer-stadium-announcement-coming-afternoon/693051001/
Nashville is planning to build on a site at the fairground, which is not even close to downtown Nashville.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/10/23/nashville-mls-ownership-unveils-new-details-stadiums-private-development-including-hotel/790101001/
Austin’s new soccer franchise will build its stadium at a race track complex, which is way the hell away from downtown.
http://www.mystatesman.com/sports/soccer/austin-pro-soccer-franchise-will-roll-2019-000-seat-cota-venue/yYB4EAQ56lWkGc4L9i9izI/
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Let’s see. Cohen Stadium-oops,Baseball team went away. Olympic size swimming pool-oops, downsized to a puddle. Bicycle lanes-oops, no body uses them. Rent-a-bike-oops, nobody uses them either. Multi-use center(arena)-we will see. Northeast bus station-oops, still under construction. Old Northgate Center-oops, still a vacant lot. And the list goes on and on and on……
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The baseball team at Cohen Stadium went away because the City signed an agreement with MountainStar/Chihuahuas that no City-owned facility would have baseball games, sticking it to the Tiguas who had just spent quite a few bucks fixing up Cohen Stadium.
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Helen makes a great point. The MountainStar deal didn’t just destroy City Hall, it pretty destroyed Cohen Stadium because of the non-compete clause. And the Tiguas were maintaining Cohen. I just got my tax bill. The number one reason listed on it for the tax increase is exemptions for seniors and the disabled. Personally I think the number one reason they should list is fiscal irresponsibility, incompetent governance and local corruption because that is the real reason for these tax increases. Unfortunately, with low voter turnout and public sector employees who vote for bigger government, we are stuck with donor-owned politicians for the foreseeable future.
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There’s a pattern here. When they want lots of money they either say it’s for the children or they blame it on the old folks. But out of the other side of their mouth, they promote El Paso as a great place to retire.
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If the Mayor, City Council wants ANOTHER business venture for Mountain Star Sports, tell them the ONLY location is Cohen Stadium. MSS can bear the COST of tearing it down, rebuilding, PAYING for whatever THEY want. Are if THEY want a “Futbol” stadium, THEY can build it in Juarez and FORCE the Mexicans to pay for it. El Pasoans, the city of El Taxo has had enough, when WE gain NOTHING in these MSS ventures, except HIGHER TAXES to PAY for whatever THEY, the politicians want.
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There is already a fine soccer stadium in Juarez; leaving aside how few folks from El Paso want to cross the bridges to go there, that’s not what this crowd wants. A NEW stadium ONLY for soccer/futbol!
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